Bladon, stabbed to death by a Palestinian on the light rail, was an exchange student at Hebrew University

Police at the scene where Hannah Bladon, 21, a British exchange student, was killed in a stabbing attack on Jerusalem's light rail near IDF square in Jerusalem, on April 14, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) Inset: Hannah Bladon. (Courtesy)

The young British woman murdered on Friday in a terror attack in Jerusalem was named as Hannah Bladon, 21, an exchange student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Bladon started her studies in January at the university and was set to complete the program in September. She took courses on Bible Studies, archaeology and religion at the university’s Rothberg International School. She was also studying Hebrew. She had been studying religion at the University of Birmingham since 2015.

The Hebrew University sent its condolences to the family, saying in a statement that it “condemns such acts of terror that harm innocent people, and especially a student who came to Jerusalem to study and widen her academic horizons.”

In a Facebook post in January, Bladon wrote that she was doing okay in response to some concerns for her safety amid an ongoing wave of terror attacks that had largely subsided since beginning in October 2015. “Thanks guys. I’m ok thanks!” she posted. “Security is really tight on campus so no worries at mo[ment]! Managed to see a lot of sites before starting my classes today so defo (definitely) having a great time! Xx”. The comment accompanied a picture of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Bladon died of her wounds after being stabbed multiple times with a kitchen knife by a Palestinian terrorist while riding on Jerusalem’s light rail.

An off-duty police officer and a passerby wrestled the terrorist, a Palestinian man from East Jerusalem, to the ground before he could harm anyone else. Two other people were lightly injured when the tram made an emergency stop.

Footage from inside the tram shows the suspect being subdued as armed police stand by. Personal belongings including a suitcase and a children’s double stroller can be seen next to the scene.

Medics from the Magen David Adom ambulance service carried out CPR on Bladon at the scene before taking her to Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus for treatment. She was brought to the hospital in critical condition, with multiple stab wounds to the upper body, a medic said.

She died of her wounds shortly after arriving to the hospital, a Hadassah spokesperson said.

The terror attack was condemned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin, who also offered their condolences to Bladon’s family.

Ira Kirschner, the Director of the Rothberg School’s Office of Student Life, told Channel 10 News that Bladon was “very polite,” which created the impression that she was shy, when she first arrived at the university. “But she wasn’t like that. She was adventurous and had come here to have experiences, to meet people, and to get to know the history of the state.”

Israeli ambassador to the UK, Mark Regev, wrote on Twitter: “My thoughts are with the family and friends of UK student Hannah Bladon, who was murdered in a senseless act of terror in Jerusalem today.”

My thoughts are with the family and friends of UK student Hannah Bladon, who was murdered in a senseless act of terror in Jerusalem today.

Medics take away a wounded person from the scene of a stabbing attack on the Jerusalem light rail near IDF Square in the capital on April 14, 2017. (Magen David Adom)

Parademics also treated a pregnant woman who suffered an injury to her stomach when the light rail came to a sudden halt because of the attack, as well as a man in his 50s who hurt his leg when he tried to run from the scene, MDA said.

Emergency services evacuate an injured person from the scene of an stabbing attack in Jerusalem Friday, April 14, 2017. Israeli police said a Palestinian man stabbed a woman in Jerusalem, seriously wounding her before forces apprehended him at the scene. She later died. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Both were lightly injured and taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment, MDA said.

The terrorist was identified as Jamil Tamimi, 57, from the Ras al-Amoud neighborhood of East Jerusalem, by the Shin Bet security service.

Police collect evidence at the scene of a stabbing attack on the Jerusalem light rail near IDF Square in the capital on April 14, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)

“According to an initial investigation, it seems he suffers from mental problems,” a police spokesperson said.

Police said he was on his way home from a mental hospital in northern Israel when he carried out the attack.

As the train approached IDF Square, outside the Old City, shortly before 1:00 p.m., Tamimi “noticed the young woman standing next to him, crouched, took out a knife from his bag and stabbed her a number of times,” police said.

Earlier this year, Tamimi tried to commit suicide by swallowing a razor blade, according to the Shin Bet. He was also found guilty of sexually abusing his daughter in 2011.

“This is another case, out of many, where a Palestinian who is suffering from personal, mental or moral issues chooses to carry out a terror attack in order to find a way out of their problems,” the Shin Bet said in a statement.

Security forces have been on high alert over the Passover and Easter holidays when hundreds of thousands of people visit Jerusalem. The army imposed a closure on the West Bank for the duration of the holidays.

Video footage from the scene showed a group of police officers and civilians grabbing the attacker by each limb and forcing him to the ground as frightened commuters tried and get off the carriage.

The attack occurred near IDF Square in the capital, along Jaffa Road, right near the walls of the Old City which was packed with Good Friday pilgrims and Jews celebrating Passover

Following the attack, the Border Police shut down the nearby Damascus Gate entrance to the Old City. The area has been a frequent site of attacks. Rail service resumed shortly after the attack.

A knife used in a stabbing attack on the Jerusalem light rail near IDF Square in the capital on April 14, 2017. (Israel Police)

The terrorist’s knife was recovered from the scene by police.

Though a marked drop has been recorded by security officials in recent months, 41 Israelis, two Americans, a Palestinian and an Eritrean national have been killed in the spate of stabbing, car-ramming and shooting attacks that began a year and a half ago.

Israeli officials have said that many of the attackers have done so due to personal problems, with some hoping to commit suicide by cop or soldier.

According to AFP figures, some 250 Palestinians, a Jordanian and a Sudanese migrant have also been killed, most of them in the course of carrying out attacks, Israel says, and many of the others in clashes with troops in the West Bank and at the Gaza border, as well as in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket attacks.

The spate of Palestinian attacks that began in October 2015 was dubbed the “lone wolf” intifada, as many of the attacks were carried out by individuals who were not connected to any terror group.

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